In general, light-emitting devices may be divided into organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices having a light-emitting layer formed from an organic material and inorganic light-emitting devices having a light-emitting layer formed from an inorganic material. In OLED devices, OLEDs are self-emitting light sources based on the radiative decay of excitons generated in an organic light-emitting layer by the recombination of electrons injected through an electron injection electrode (cathode) and holes injected through a hole injection electrode (anode). OLEDs have a range of merits, such as low-voltage driving, self-emission of light, wide viewing angles, high resolution, natural color reproducibility, and rapid response times.
Recently, research has been actively undertaken into applying OLEDs to portable information devices, cameras, clocks, watches, office equipment, information display devices for vehicles or similar, televisions (TVs), display devices, lighting systems, and the like.
To improve the luminous efficiency of such above-described OLED devices, it is necessary to improve the luminous efficiency of a material of which a light-emitting layer is formed or light extraction efficiency, i.e., the efficiency with which light generated by the light-emitting layer is extracted.
The light extraction efficiency of an OLED device depends on the refractive indices of OLED layers. In a typical OLED device, when a beam of light generated by the light-emitting layer is emitted at an angle greater than a critical angle, the beam of light may be totally reflected at the interface between a higher-refractivity layer, such as a transparent electrode layer functioning as an anode, and a lower-refractivity layer, such as a glass substrate. This may consequently lower light extraction efficiency, thereby lowering the overall luminous efficiency of the OLED device, which is problematic.
Described in more detail, only about 20% of light generated by an OLED is emitted from the OLED device and about 80% of the light generated is lost due to a waveguide effect originating from different refractive indices of a glass substrate, an anode, and an organic light-emitting layer comprised of a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an emissive layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer, as well as by the total internal reflection originating from the difference in refractive indices between the glass substrate and ambient air. Here, the refractive index of the internal organic light-emitting layer ranges from 1.7 to 1.8, whereas the refractive index of indium tin oxide (ITO), generally used in anodes, is about 1.9. Since the two layers have a significantly low thickness, ranging from 200 nm to 400 nm, and the refractive index of the glass used for the glass substrate is about 1.5, a planar waveguide is thereby formed inside the OLED device. It is calculated that the ratio of the light lost in the internal waveguide mode due to the above-described reason is about 45%. In addition, since the refractive index of the glass substrate is about 1.5 and the refractive index of ambient air is 1.0, when light exits the interior of the glass substrate, a beam of the light, having an angle of incidence greater than a critical angle, may be totally reflected and trapped inside the glass substrate. The ratio of trapped light is about 35%. Therefore, only about 20% of generated light may be emitted from the OLED device.
To overcome such problems, light extraction layers, through which 80% of light that would otherwise be lost in the internal waveguide mode can be extracted, have been actively researched. Light extraction layers are generally categorized as internal light extraction layers and external light extraction layers. In the case of external light extraction layers, it is possible to improve light extraction efficiency by disposing a film including microlenses on the outer surface of the substrate, the shape of the microlenses being selected from a variety of shapes. The improvement of light extraction efficiency does not significantly depend on the shape of microlenses. On the other hand, internal light extraction layers directly extract light that would otherwise be lost in the light waveguide mode. Thus, the capability of internal light extraction layers to improve light extraction efficiency may be higher than that of external light extraction layers.
However, the effect of improving light extraction efficiency using the internal light extraction layer is still insignificant with respect to the amount of outwardly emitted light. Therefore, active research into a method or technology for further improving light extraction efficiency is in demand.